PETALING JAYA: The decision by nurses to leave the public sector for the private sector and overseas since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic four years ago continues to be a major concern for the nation’s healthcare system.
In a statement today, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz said the ongoing issue was due to their search for higher-paying jobs, better incentives and less workplace pressure, leading many to move to countries like Singapore, Australia and the Middle East.
“Many have gone to work in Singapore, Australia and West Asia.
“A new U29 grade public healthcare nurse in Malaysia earns a monthly starting salary of around RM1,800 while a new graduate nurse in Singapore can earn almost five times that amount,“ she was quoted as saying.
As per the Health Ministry, the exodus of nurses has led to a significant increase in vacancies within the country’s public health sector where the number rose from 2,106 in 2020 to 6,896 last year, marking a staggering 40% rise over the past four years.
Apart from the primary factors driving this trend being low pay and high workplace pressure , nurses are often “burnt out” due to excessive workloads.
“The nurses may also be ‘burnt out’ as they always work too much,“ she said.
The government, Azizan said, should remain focused on improving the welfare and work-life balance of all healthcare workers to ensure the quality of the public health sector can be maintained.
“Nurses’ salaries need to be increased significantly along with any allowances they are entitled to, as part of efforts to retain nurses serving in our public health care system,“ she added.
While the public healthcare system is grappling with this challenge, the private hospital sector is also forecasted to require an additional 9,224 nurses between 2023 and 2025, according to the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia.
